SANCTIONS AGAINST GIANT HEDGES

Early day motion 101, tabled 9 December 1998 by Lynne Jones (Labour). Signed by 207 members.

That this House welcomes the Government's decision to set up a working group to draw up a voluntary code of practice on providing better information on planting and growing leylandii and similarly fast-growing trees; believes however that some form of statutory protection is required for those whose lives have been blighted by overgrown trees and hedges; suggests that one option might be an amendment to the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to allow environmental health officers to judge whether an excessively high hedge constitutes a nuisance; would welcome the flexibility and discretion that such a solution would offer, as well as the subsequent legal action that could be taken to protect victims of giant hedges; and calls on the Government to bolster the objectives of the Working Group to allow consideration of whether such legislative proposals are desirable.

Signatures by party: Labour 131, Conservative 28, Liberal Democrat 26, Labour/Co-operative 8, UUP 5, Plaid Cymru 4, Scottish National Party 2, Independent 1, UKUP 1, Unknown 1.